Daily Search Forum Recap: October 30, 2009

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

Google October 2009 Toolbar PageRank Update
There seems to be a Google Toolbar PageRank update going on right now. We have threads on the topic at WebmasterWorld, DigitalPoint Forums and HighRankings Forum. The update seemed to have started sometime yesterday afternoon and many SEOs and webmasters are chatting about it now. The last PageRank update prior to this one was in June 2009, which may have just been a technical quirk because the one prior to that was just a month

Google Removes Time Line Search Option Temporarily
Google has temporarily removed the time line feature from search options. The new Google search options went live in early May. We have a screen shot from even before that shows the time line feature. But it has now been removed. Current vs Old: Notice it is now missing, next to "Wonder Wheel." Why? Well, Google said this is only temporary. In a Google Web Search Help thread, Googler Jaime said: Hey there -- not

Google Maps Israel Back to English: Was a Bug
A few days ago, we reported on complaints that Google Maps for Israel was in Hebrew, people wanted it to be English or to have the option. Well, Googler Dave updated the Google Maps Help thread to inform us it was a bug. He said: Thank you for reporting this issue. This was due to a error in one of our internal software settings. We're aware of the problem and are working to return the

Is Microsoft Bing Finally Figuring Out 301 Redirects?
One thing I always see in the search optimization forums are complaints about how Microsoft Bing handles 301 redirects. I actually stopped covering the complaints because I saw them all too often. Today, I have some possible good news. Steve, a senior member at WebmasterWorld posted a thread at WebmasterWorld that he believes Bing has finally figured out how to handle 301 redirects. He said: MSN/Bing appears to have finally figured out how to follow

Google Pushes Fading Home Page Test To More, Adds Instructions
Earlier this month, Google began testing a simplistic fading in home page. Some loved it, but mostly, I have seen complaints about it. It seems like Google has pushed this test home page to many more people. I have seen a spike in posts about this in the Google Web Search Help discussion area, plus a new thread at WebmasterWorld. The new push seemed to have one minor, but significant change to the fade home

New Microsoft adCenter Desktop Beta Coming November 6th?
A new Microsoft adCenter Desktop Beta application is reportedly coming this November 6th. Microsoft adCenter Desktop Beta allows adCenter advertisers (ads on Bing) to manage their ads via a desktop application, as opposed to the web console. A WebmasterWorld thread has a post by an advertiser who said he received an email from Microsoft that this update is coming. Here is a copy of that email: In the coming weeks, we are upgrading Microsoft adCenter

Google Comparison Ads For Mortgages & Refinancing
Google is launching a new ad type that they have been testing for a while, comparison ads within the mortgage and refinance industry. You can actually see it in action, with real data atgoogle.com/comparisonads. Here are some screen captures: Danny has a much more involved write up at Search Engine Land. Note, Google has also began showing more real estate in Google Maps today. If you don't see it, that is normal because it is

Should Diller Sell Ask.com? No, Donate it to Rutgers University
There was a lot of recent discussion and news coverage of Barry Diller (IAC) making a comment that he wants to sell Ask.com. Then Microsoft came up as a potential buyer. You all know what I think of Ask.com these days. I think Ask.com is not about search, their technology is falling apart and they try to monetize everything as best as they can. They tried to drive more life into Ask in the UK